Can-stamper.



S. PITTALUGA.

CAN STAMPER.

APPLICATION FILED Aus.8. 1914,

Patented Apr. 24,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

M J I a S. PITTALUGA.

CAN STAMPER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.B, I914. m wm Patented Apr. 24,1917.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l nveraiar u 6 I f/f 4 35 vv 7 STEFANO PITTALUGA, OF LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA, 'ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH 'llO sears FATENT FFWEQ C. P.GORINI, ONE-FOURTH TO E. J. KITTERMAN, AND ONE-FOURTH TO F. W. SCHULTZ,ALL DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CAN-STAMPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 241, 1917.

Application filed August 8, 1914. Serial No. 855,925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEFANO PITTALUGA, a subject of the, King of Italy,having declared my intention of becoming a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Can-Stamper, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a stamper for operation in connection with amoving train of containers such ascans, bottles, boxes and the like andan object is to provide a laterally shiftable stamp adapted to operateupon the sides of the containers, either before or after labeling, asthey are conveyed by the stamper.

The stamper is especially adapted for use upon a moving train of opencans and is appropriately positioned relative thereto, preferablyoperating to leave an impression upon each successive can as they areconveyed to a filling or capping machine.

Heretofore in stampers of this character used for cans the stampsignifying the variety of food stufl, among other data, has beenimpressed upon the can top after the can is capped and in practical useto admit of inspection of the can contents while the stamping is beingefi'ected, I perform the stamping operation upon the open filled canbefore capping to thus avoid confusion in marking as well as allliability of mis stamping especially when changing from one food stuffto another and accordingly a specific object of this invention is toconstruct a stamper that operates successfully upon the side of an opencan thus permitting the stamping to precede the capping operation.

In this class of Stampers it is essential to produce a sufficientlypowerful blow to secure a clean cut impression and to this end I providea spring I lever to deliver the stamping blow.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a construction of stampcarrier whereby an ordinary hand stamp may be utilized, also to providea carrier in which interchangeable stamps may be readily applied and thesame firmly held in operating position.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the subjoined detaildescription and illustration of one specific form of the device as'usedfor handling cans in a canning establishment.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a stamper embodying this invention andapplied adjacent a conveyer, a portion of which is shown, to operateupon a moving train of cans. Parts are shown in a position assumed justafter the stamp has contacted with the can upon the completion of astamping blow.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 00 w Figs. 1 and 4, parts beingshown in a position corresponding to Fig. 1, just after the stamp hasacted upon an open fruit can" which is shown broken away and partiallyfilled.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation through the conveyer, viewed from line w-w Figs. 1, 2 and 4, with parts in a position corresponding to Figs. 1and 2. A middle portion of the conveyer, together with cans thereon, isomitted and parts broken away and shown in section for clearness ofillustration.

Fig. 4 is a plan View analogous to Fig. 1,

-parts being in section on line W-mfl Figs. 2, 3 and 5. The springactuated lever is shown retracted, just about to deliver the stampingblow.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical cross-section through theinterchangeable-stamp carrier with the stamp in place therein, sectiontaken on line as -m Figs.2 and 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental view of the striking lever detached, showing theadjustable retracting finger secured thereto.

Arrows on the section lines in the various views indicate the directionof sight.

In the embodiment shown a suitably supported table member 1 serves as asupport for the conveyor 2 which may be of any desirable form and in thepresent instance comprises a conveyer plate 3 having side guides 4, 5between which the upright cans 6 are moved by the usual lipped orpropel- Y conveyer,'said propel ing links ling links 7 of 'a chain artsof the being arranged at appropriate intervals throughout the length ofthe chain.

-A base member 10 is secured to the table member, adjacent theconveyerand alongside the guide 4, by'bolts 11 and supports an upright standard12, preferably by means of a lower threaded standard portion 13 screwinginto the member 10 and secured in place therein by a locknut 14. In thisinstance said upright standard is held rigidly in place by anoverhangingbase arm 15, a stud 16 extending through the end portion of said arm andinto the threaded socket 17 trough 9, and formin movable in the top ofthe standard.

The standard 12 serves as a mounting for a laterally shiftable stamp 18to impress the sides'of the cans 6, said stamp being held in a carrier19 which is slidably mounted by means of upper and or guides 20 and 21extending through transverse guide-ways or standard bores 22 and 23respectively, the upper stem 20 also extending through an ear 24 of theoverhanging arm 15 to insure accurate alin'ement of the carrier. Thelower stem 21 is provided with an end shoulder 25 against which acompression spring 26 impinges, said spring being mounted upon the stemand having its other end bearing against the standard 12, thus tendingto hold the stamp carrier in retracted position.

A striking pin 27 connected to the carrier, intermediate the stems 20and 21 and somewhat shorter than said stems, extends through a standardbore 28 and aflords means to move the carrier forward in opposition tothe spring 26. A lever 29 is fulcrumed at 30 to a raised extension 30 ofthe base 10 and is resiliently connected with said base by a tensionspring 31 through a lever arm 32 and base arm 33, the tip 290f saidlever being normally spring pressed against the standard and adapted toengage the in 27 to hold the carrier and stamp in a orward position withthe stamp slightly spaced apart from the impression receiving plane ofthe moving cans.

The lever 29 has a retracting finger 34 preferably made adjustable bymeans of a slot and stud connection 35, which finger together with asprocket 36 constitutes means to retract the lever against the tensionof the spring 31 preparatory to delivering the stamp impressing blow.

The sprocket 36 is rotatively mounted upon the upright standard 12 andis positioned upon the lock-nut 14, said sprocket having teeth 37 andconcave faces 38 therebetween that conform substantially to theperiphery of the cans.

The sprocket is arranged so that the teeth 8 running in the by operationof theconveyer act lower carrier stems through lips 52 that extend intothe ath of travel of the cans and the concave faces 38 are adapted tosuccessively receive the upright cans as the same are moved along by theconveyer to thus turn the sprocket 36, the teeth of which wipe by theretracting finger tip 39 that extends lnto the path of said teeth,thereby operating the spring-lever to strike the stamp to impress eachof the successive can sides as said cans move by the Stamper.

The can or other containers moved along upon the sprocket to rotate thesame to actuate the stamp actuating mechanism.

Said sprocket is provided with a brake consisting of a spring piece 40that is suit ably secured to the overhanging arm 15 and extends into thepath of the sprocket teeth, said brake also serving to prevent rotationof the sprocket disk in the opposite direction.

- The inking means for the stamp comprises ink rollers 41 that aremounted upon the top of the sprocket 36 and are adapted to rotatetherewith to roll around upon a stationary ink pad 42 to collect asupply of ink and thence around upon the stamp characters 43 to deliverthe ink thereto. The lever 29 is provided at its middle portion with anarch 44, see Fig. 3, under which the rollers pass during the course ofrotation. Three ink rollers are preferably provided, although any numbermay be used as occasion requires and each roller consists of a tubularsheath 45 having a rubber facing 46, said tubular sheath being mountedto turn freely upon an upright journal pin 47 that is adjustably securedto the sprocket disk by feet 48 having'screws 49 passing therethroughand into the disk.

The stationary ink pad 42 may be mounted upon a bracket 50 which, in theinstance shown, is supported upon the overhanging arm by the standardholding stud 16, said bracket having a hook arm 51 passing are securedto the pad. The distance from the outer end of the striking pin 27 tothe face of the characters 43 is sllghtly less than the distance betweenthe striking face of the lever tip 29 and the impression receiving planeof the cans when .tip 29'.

By this construction a clear-cut impression is delivered by therelatively stationary from the can imstamp upon each of the moving cansas they' pass by without any liability of blurring.

In a stamper of this class using a common form of hand stamp it is veryessential that convenient means be provided whereby the stamp may bereadily applied and at the same time be firmly held in place and to thisend the carrier is provided with :1 back portion 53 having a groove a.therein, into which the rounding back of the stamp fits, and a sidemember 54 substantially conforming to the rounding contour of. the sideof the stamp. A leaf spring 55 secured'to the carrier floor 56 by ascrew 57, also conforms to the side of the stamp and extends upwardlyadjacent the member 54. The detachable stamp 18 is inserted in placeupon the floor 56, against the back 53 and between the spring 55 andside member 54, being friction'ally held in the carrier by means of thespring 55 which arrangement permits of a stamp being quickly snapped outof and in place as when changing from one food stuff to another.

The device may be variously positioned relative to the moving train ofcans and in the instance shown may be considered as operatingbupon thepartially filled cans as they are eing conveyed in the direction of thearrow, Figs. 1 and 4, to the syrup filling machine, not shown.

In practical operation as the conveyer carries a can between twoadjacent teeth the next advance tooth 37 acts upon the finger tip 39. InFig. 4, the tooth 37' is shown as having advanced upon said tip andretracted the lever against the tension of the spring 31, the stamp andcarrier meanwhile being moved into a retracted position against thestandard by the spring 26, and upon further movement of the tooth 37' bycontinued movement of the cans said tooth passes the finger tip and thespring 31 then becomes effective to actuate the lever 29 to strike thepin 27 and thrust the stamp directly outward in a straight path to pressthe characters 43 against the side of the impression receiving can, theside guide 5 serving to support said can against this lateral stampthrust. During the striking interval of the lever, (while passing toposition shown in Fig. 1) the can is moved forwardly from the positionshown in Fig. 4 into central alinement with the stamp.

Thus it is seen that the arrangement of the finger relative to thesprocket teeth is such that when the stamp contacts with the can toleave the impression, the stamp and can are in alinement with oneanother, and the stamping is effected by a direct thrust of the stampcaused by the action of the container so that the stamp invariably actson the exact surface for which it has been fitted.

stamping operation.

After the stamp has contacted with the can, upon the completion of thestamping blow, said stamp will instantly rebound- Whereupon it will beheld by the spring 26 in retracted position with the striking pin 27abutting against the lever tip 29, then normally bearing against thestandard. This instantaneous rebound of the laterally moving stampavoids any blurring as the impression is delivered upon the moving canand the amount of retraction is just suflicient to normally hold thestamp slightly out of the path of the moving cans and in position toreceive ink from the approaching roller 41 preparatory for the nextstamping operation. The inking rollers in this instance are sopositioned that each roller passes over the stamp characters to supplyink thereto between every other As the stamped can rides out frombetween adjacent teeth 37, upon continued movement of the conveyer, thesprocket is turned so that the following concave face 38 receives thenext succeeding can and the advancing tooth 37 rides upon the finger tippreparatory to retracting the spring-lever 29 to deliver an impressionupon the unstamped can as it comes into alinement with the stamp, thusthe stamping may proceed as the cans are conveyed by the Stamper.

From the foregoing it is seen that I have devised for the first time acan stamper in which a single non-rotatable stamp operates upon thesides of the open filled cans, the construction being such that thestamp will instantly rebound from the side of each successive can andthus avoid any blurring of the impression.

In case the stamper is used in connection with cans of a larger orsmaller diameter, a corresponding sprocket is accordingly used, theconcave faces of which conform substantially to the periphery of thecans used and the retracting finger is adjusted by means of the slottedconnection 35 to co-act with the teeth of the substituted sprocket disk.

1 claim 2-- 1. The combination with a conveyer adapted to carry cans inan upright position, of an upright standard mounted at one side of theconveyer, a spring retracted stamp mounted for horizontal reciprocationin position to hit the sides of the cans, a spring actuated hammer foradvancing the stamp, and means for raising and releasing the hammer bythe movement of the cans.

2. The combination with a conveyer adapted to carry cans in an uprightposition, of an upright standard mounted at the side of the conveyer, aspring retracted stamp mounted for horizontal reciprocation upon thestandard in position to hit the sides of the cans, a spring actuatedhammer for advancing the stamp, a sprocket rotatably mounted upon thestandard and having teeth to be engaged by the passing cans and havingmeans for raising and releasing the hammer, so that said hammer isoperated by the passing cans.

3. The combination With a conveyer to carry containers, of a standardmounted adjacent said conveyer, a shiftable stamp mounted on saidstandard and adapted to impress successive containers, and a lever tostrike the stamp, said standard serving as a stop to arrest the strikingblow of the lever, 'ust previous to the impression-contact oi the stampto thus permit of the instantaneous rebound of the stamp.

4. The combination with a conveyer to carry containers, of a standardmounted adjacent said conveyer, 'a shiftable stamp mounted on saidstandard and adapted to impress successive containers, a striking pin onthe stamp and extending through the standard, and ,a lever to strike thestriking pin to impress the stamp, the distance from the outer end ofsaid striking pin to the impression face of the stamp being less thanthe distance between the lever striking face and the impressionreceiving plane of the cans when said lever is normally bearing againstthe standard, thus to permit of the instantaneous rebound of the stampafter impression-contact.

5. The combination with a conveyer 'to carry containers, of a laterallyshiftable stamp to impress successive containers, a spring actuatedlever to strike the stamp, a rotatably mounted sprocket having teethadapted to successively receive the containers as the same are movedalong by the conveyer, and a retracting finger on the lever andextending into the path of said sprocket teeth, said teeth being adaptedto wipe by the retracting finger and thus retract the lever to deliverthe stamping blow.

6. The combination with a conveyer to carry containers, of a laterallyshiftable stamp mounted adjacent said conveyer, and adapted to impresssuccessive containers, a spring actuated lever to strike the stamp, asprocket having teeth extending into the path of travel of thecontainers to thereby turn said sprocket, a retracting finger adjustablymounted upon said lever and adapted to extend into the path of saidteeth to retract the lever to deliver the stamping blow.

7. Thecombination with a conveyer to carry containers, of a laterallyshiftable stamp carrier mounted adjacent said conveyer, a stamp for saidcarrier to impress successive containers, a spring actuated lever tostrike the stamp carrier, a sprocket having teeth extending into thepath of travel of the containers to thereby turn said sprocket, aretracting finger mounted upon said lever and adapted to co-act withsaid sprocket teeth to retract the lever to deliver the stamping blow.

8. The combination with a conveyer to carry containers, of a stationarystandard mounted adjacent said conveyer, a nonrotatable shiftable stampcarrier mounted on said standard and adapted to hold a stamp, a strikingpin connected to the stamp carrier and extending through the stationarystandard, a lever to strike said striking pin to impress the stamp, andmeans operatable by movement of the conveyer to operate the lever.

9. The combination with a conveyer to carry containers, of an uprightstandard mounted adjacent said conveyer, and provided with upper andlower bores, a stampcarrier having upper and lower stems adapted toextend through said bores to slidably mount said carrier, a striking pinconnected to the carrier intermediate said stems and extending throughthe standard, a lever to strike the striking pin to impress the stamp,means operatable by the movement of the conveyer to operate the lever,and a spring upon one of said stems to retract the carrier.

10. The combination with a conveyer to carry containers, of an uprightstandard mounted adjacent said conveyer, a laterally shiftable stampcarrier mounted on said standard and provided with a stamp, inkingrollers to supply ink to said stamp, a striking pin connected to thecarrier and extending through the standard, a lever having its tipnormally bearing against the standard, said tip being adapted to strikethe striking pin to impress the stamp, means operatable by the movementof the conveyer to operate the lever, and spring means to retract thecarrier to hold the striking pin against the stamp in. position levertip to maintain the to contact with said ink rollers.

11. The combination with a conveyer to carry containers, of a laterallyshiftable stamp to impress successive containers, a stationary ink padfor said stamp, a spring actuated lever to strike the stamp, aretracting finger on said lever, a rotatably mounted sprocket operatableby the containers on the conveyer and adapted to co-act with saidretracting finger to retract the lever to deliver the stamping blow, andink rollers mounted upon said rotatable sprocket adapted to collect inkfrom said ink pad and deliver it to said laterally shiftable stamp.

12. A supporting plate, a guide along one side of the supporting plate,an endless conveyer for moving upright cans along said supporting plateand against said guide,

and a reciprocating stamping mechanism at my hand at Los Angeles,California, this the opposite side of the supporting plate 1st day ofAugust, 1914.

from the guide a spring actuated hammer for advancing the stamp, andmeans for STEFANO PITTALUGA' 5 raising and releasing the hammer andoper- In presence ofated by the movement of the cans. JAMES R. TOWNSEND,

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set WILLIAM N. KIRKBY.

